


Inhale/Exhale

by cosmot



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mistaken Identity, Post-Season/Series 02, Season/Series 02 Spoilers, help shiro 2k17, where's shiro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-27
Updated: 2017-07-27
Packaged: 2018-12-07 19:06:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11629968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmot/pseuds/cosmot
Summary: After taking on Zarkon and disappearing, Shiro wakes up, trapped underground. He won't be alone for long, but maybe he would have been better off left unfound..





	Inhale/Exhale

**Author's Note:**

> this picks up straight from where s2 leaves off... i just want to get out the first chapter before s3 is released aw yeah

Shiro jolted into consciousness with a start, his heart pounding and his body aching.

 

His brain immediately provided him with a rush of panic: the shaky aftermath of adrenalin; the jarring empty space where the presence of four other minds had been only a moment ago – at least, it felt like it had only been a moment. He desperately searched for the black lion – wherewasititshouldbethere – but the solid warmth that should be enveloping his mind was nowhere to be found.

 

He opened his eyes to complete darkness. Alarm spiked through his brain as his grasping hands were met with a cool, solid surface either side of him. He tentatively reached up, his breath stuttering in relief as the space appeared to widen above him. Trying to breathe deeply to slow his heart rate, Shiro attempted to manoeuver himself into a crouch. A strangled gasp escaped his lips as pain lanced through his side, and he lowered himself back down to the ground. Nausea rose in his throat and his muscles trembled with the exertion, the aftermath of Haggar’s quintessence-draining spell making itself known with vigour.

 

The barrage of sensations – pain, exhaustion, claustrophobia – threatened to overwhelm Shiro. There was a dizzying feeling stealing over his brain; closing his eyes and lying back on the floor seemed almost too easy, and so he gave in to the want and allowed himself to pass out.

 

* * *

 

 Kaya scampered down the roughly hewn tunnel on all fours, eager to finish her patrol so that she could head to her hammock for some much-needed rest. There hadn’t been any alarms or disturbances in this section of the base: the thought of something unexpected happening hadn’t even crossed her mind.

 

Reasonably, the sudden choking gasp that rang through the otherwise silent tunnels caught her off guard. She froze, trying to source the sound, then crept forwards silently. She let out a gasp of her own as she rounded a corner to find some sort of large… creature lying motionless before her. A thrill of instinctual fear shot through her system, and she forced herself to calm down and analyse the situation. The creature was almost too wide to fit into the tunnel. It appeared to have four limbs, and some sort of hard shell covering its body. Kaya didn’t know whether it was artificial armour or a natural part of the creature. Its face seemed serene and peaceful, and it was completely still apart from the slight rise and fall of its chest. How it had come to be here, Kaya had no idea. She also had no idea why the scanners hadn’t registered it: to miss a life form as large as this one was more than slightly alarming.

 

She edged forwards, trying to get a better look. On closer inspection, the creature appeared to be worse off than she had initially thought – its skin seemed too colourless and its breathing too shallow. She straightened up and reached into her pocket to pull out her com and radio her higher-ups.

 

“This is Runner 4, reporting possible security breach. I’ve found an unconscious life form in Section 8, it appears to be injured. Medical team and potentially security required. Over.”

 

She fell silent, settling down to wait for a reply. Her initial fear of the creature had resided, as it didn’t seem to currently present any threat. She examined it with interest instead. Its anatomy seemed fairly standard: two arms, two legs, a flat face with all the features facing one way. No tail, though. A lot of hair on the top of its head, but none anywhere else that she could see. Curiously, and perhaps overconfidently, Kaya tugged at its hand, carefully pulling off a black glove to reveal the same pale skin as its face underneath. She compared it to the second hand, realising it wasn’t made of the same matter. She frowned when she recognised it as a prosthetic, and she leaned over to examine it closer.

 

It was made from some smooth, cool material – some kind of metal alloy? – with dark and light sections. It was dirty, but barely had a scratch on it – whatever it was made from, it must be immensely sturdy. The metal seemed familiar, but Kaya couldn’t place where she’d seen it before. Her brow furrowed further as she studied the hand, the black metal so dark it seemed to absorb the light around it, and –

 

Wait.

 

Kaya knew where she’d seen this metal before. She’d seen it used in armour, in pieces of tech salvaged from battlefields. And it hadn’t belonged to their side.

 

Barely breathing, she backed away from the creature, moving as quickly as she could without making a sound. Once she was safely round a corner, she pulled out her com again to shakily whisper into it:

 

“Runner 4 again. Send security immediately. I- I think I’ve found a Galran spy.”

 


End file.
